Apparatus for lubricating conveyer belts



Feb. 23, 1954 w. J. DOBKIN APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING CONV EYER BELTS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 17,

mm m 4%. VJ mm JA m BY [L44 Feb; 23, 1954 w J DOBKlN 2,670,069

APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING CONVEYER BELTS Filed Nov. 17', 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Mllaizm JDob/i'an/ [AW aim ATTORNEY W. J. DOBKIN Feb. 23, 1954 ATING CONVEYER BELTS APPARATUS FOR LUBRIC 3 Sheets-Sheet v3 Filed NOV. 17, 1949 Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR LUBRICATING CONVEYER BELTS William J. Dobkin, Jackson Heights, N. Y.

Application November 17, 1949, Serial No. 127,871

' 13 Claims. (01. 19s -1) l The present invention relates to apparatus for lubricating a conveyor belt, such as is used in transporting bottles, cans and similar articles in connection with mechanical handling operations.

2 A further object is to provide a new and improved conveyor belt lubricating apparatus adapted to dispense liquid lubricant only while the conveyor is in operation.

In some forms of handling devices, articles 5 A further object is to provide a new and imsuch as bottles, cans, etc. are moved along in proved conveyor belt lubricating apparatus which streams by a conveyor belt from station to stalends itself to accurate control and adjustment tion where different operations on these articles of the amount of lubricant applied to the belt. are performed, such as filling, capping, labeling, A further object is to provide a new and impackaging, etc. This belt may be of the articuproved apparatus for applying lubricant substanlated typ with an endless sprocket chain attially evenly across the belt, irrespective of any tached to carrying elements in the form of metal abrasive wear Or any other irregularity in the slats and with the upper flight or run of the belt pD cfi 1'' said beltsupported on side tracks or runways against the A further object is to provide a belt lubricatweight of the articles thereon. ing apparatus which in spite of its many features During some of the handling operations deis nevertheless comparatively simple and inexscribed, the movement of the conveyed articles pensive to manufacture and reliable in operation. is interrupted, while the conveyor belt continues Various other objects are apparent from the its movement. As a result, the conveyor belt following particular descriptifln d from an rides past the interrupted articles being operated p ctifln of he co p y drawings, in Whichi upon, thereby subjecting th belt to abrasive Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the conveyor syswear, especially along its longitudinal center tem and attached belt lubricating pparatus emupon which the articles repose. Lubrication of bodying the present ve the conveyor belt is, therefore, necessary to Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a conveyor system render the belt smooth and slippery and to miniand shows associated therewith partly in vertimize its wear resulting from the conditions decal section approximately along the lines 2--2 scribed. Even with the application of a lubricant of Fig. a belt lubricating apparatus e b y n on the belt, a channel is eventually worn along the p s t i v t n; the longitudinal medial part of the belt on which F g. 3 is a vertical section of the convey the bottles or other articles handled rest. 20 syst and a ta ed b lt t ng appa atu In one known method of lubricating the belt, taken approximately along lines of 2, a wet cake of soap is supported over the upper b t Sh n O al r Scale; run of the belt near its starting section. As the Fig 4 is a S 0f t lubricant pp t belt rides past this cake of soap, it rubs ofi some and shows a lubricatin drum in Said tank and of the soap and is lubricated thereby. The the features by which the amount of lubricant amount of soap removed by the belt by this proctransferred and applied to the convey belt ess cannot be easily controlled or adjusted. Morethrough said drum is adjusted; over, lubrication tends to be limited to localized Fig. 5 is a d l nlargement of the drum wipareas of the belt, especially if the surface of said ing features shown in Fig. belt is irregular on account of abrasive wear or 40 Fig. 6 is a radial section of one f f l rifor any other reason, thereby leaving other parts eating drum embody g the present inVentiOn; of the belt requiring lubrication free from such g. '7 is-a partial radial section of the lubricatlubrication. ing drum, but shown in connection with a sleeve Another known method comprises dripping attachment for the purpose to be made apparent; liquid soap from a container over the upper run and of the belt. Here again the method is unreliable, Fig. 8 is a radial section of another form of since it is not susceptible of accurate control lubricating drum embodying the present invenand adjustment, makes the lubricant difficult to tion. spread evenly over the surface of the belt and Referring to the drawings, the belt lubricattends to effect excess lubrication, if for example, ing apparatus is shown applied to a conveyor there is an. interruption in the operation of the system for transporting bottles from one operatbelt. ing station to another, until the bottles are finally One object of the present invention is to propac zaged. However, it must be understood, that vide new and improved conveyor belt lubricatas far as certain aspects of the invention are ing apparatus which can be readily attached to concerned, this lubricating apparatus may be apexisting conveyor systems.

plied to any continuously operating conveyor .3 system in which articles are moved from station to station and are interrupted in their movement these stations to permit the necessary operations to be performed thereon.

The conveyor system is shown of the conventional type comprising an endless sprocket chain Ii! (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) passing over terminal sprocket wheels ll and carrying an endless belt :2 of the articulated type with substantially horizontal upper and lower runs or flights. This belt l2 comprises a series of oblong rectangular metal slats l3 hinged together by links M. These links I l are pivotally connected at their ends to lug extensions !5 (Fig. 6) on the inner faces of the slats l3 and with said lug extensions form the sprocket chain Iii.

The frame structure supporting the conveyor system is shown comprising a pair of terminal stanchions it to which the bearings for the sprocket wheels I! are secured. Horizontal tracks ll shown in the form of angle irons are secured to the stanchions it along the sides of the upper run of the belt i2 and havehorizontal flanges 18 serving as runways to support said belt run against excessive sagging due to the weight of the bottles A thereon. A pair of rails or guards 29 secured to the stanchions l6 and. to the vertical flanges of the tracks ll guard and guide the bottles along the center line of the belt 12 as they are moved from station to station by said belt.

When the conveyor system is in operation, the belt [2 travels continuously at predetermined speed carrying the bottles with it. At different stations where operations are performed on the bottles, their movements are interrupted, thereby causing the belt IE to slip under the bottles. To

permit the belt I2 to slide freely underneath the bottles without excessive wear, it is necessary to constantly lubricate the belt.

The belt lubricating apparatus of the present invention comprises in general a liquid soap or other suitable liquid lubricant reservoir or fountain 25 shown in the form of an inverted bottle, a supply tank 26 into which the neck of the reservoir extends to draw off the lubricant as it is needed, and a rotary applicator 2! in the form of a drum or roller dipping partially into the lubricant in said supply tank and having traction engagernent with the lower run of the belt l2 to cause said drum to rotate by the conveying movement of said belt and to carry peripherally thereby a layer of lubricant from the supply tank to said belt.

The supply tank 26 desirably of rectangular shape is located below the lower run of the belt l2 and is desirably attached to the frame structure of the conveyor systems by a pair of upright hangers at in the form of angle irons secured to one of the tracks ll on one side of the belt by bolts or screws 3i and secured to opposite sides of the tank in any suitable manner, as for example by bolts or screws (not shown) or by welding. A third hanger 32 in the form of an upright tie centrally and triangularly arranged with respect to the hangers 3B is connected at its upper end to the other track I I on the other side of the belt !2 by bolts or screws 33 and is secured at its lower end to one end of the supply tank 25 by welding, screws or bolts. The supply tank 26 thereby hangs from the frame structure of the machine.

For supporting the reservoir 25 in feeding position with respect to the supply tank 26, said tank has a cover 35 seated on one section thereof on one side of the belt 12 and suitably secured to 4 said tank, as for example, by screwed or bolted seam plates (not shown). This cover is in the form of an inverted rectangular dish having an opening 35 to receive the neck of the reservoir 25 and having a gasket 31 around the edge of said opening to seat the shoulders of the inverted reservoir thereon. The height of the cover 35 is such as to space the mouth of the reservoir 25 above the bottom of the supply tank 26 a distance equal to the depth of lubricant desired in said tank. By employing a cover 35 of different height,

the depth of lubricant in the supply tank 26 can be correspondingly changed.

With the fountain arrangement as shown, as the lubricant in the supply tank 2!; is consumed to a level below the mouth of the reservoir 25, the lubricant feeds out of said reservoir into said supply tank until the lubricant again reaches the level to seal the mouth of said reservoir. The supply tank 26 is thereby automatically kept continuously replenished.

For removably securing the reservoir 25 in feeding position and to permit its easy replacement for refilling purposes, there is provided a support 453' for one side of the reservoir desirably in the form of a strap having an arcuate intermediate section 4! conformably engaging a part of the periphery of the reservoir 25 and having its ends d2 offset and connected to respective hangers 30 by suitable means, as for example, by welding. A band or loop id in the form of a bail is provided to maintain the reservoir 25 against thestrap 40. This band M has its ends pivotally mounted in the respective hangers 36 by offset ends passing with a rotative or swivel fit through holes in said hangers and in the strap ends 42. The band id is of spring wire stock and embraces the upper section of the inverted reservoir 25 with enough clearance to permit said band to be resiliently slipped off and on said reservoir, as shown in Fig. 3, when it is required to replace said reservoir for lubricant replenishing purposes. I

The lubricant applying structure described can be easily attached to existing conveyor systems without change in said systems or in their supnecessary replacement of reservoir 25 before the.

supply tank 26 runs dry, without interrupting the operation of the conveyor system or the application .of lubricant to the belt l2.

The applicator drum. 2? is supported on an. axle 5c and rotates thereabout in the direction indicated in Fig. 4 by thetraction engagement of the-belt I2 therewith. In order to adjust the amount of lubricant reaching the belt 12 through the drum 21, the axle is secured'in an adjustable bracket 5! comprising a pair of side arms 52 flanking the drum and secured to the ends of the axle in any suitable means, as for example, by screws 53 (Fig. 3). These bracket arms 52 are connected together at one end by a cross member 55 forming with said arms a U-plate made desirably of one piece from sheet material. The bracket 5i is supported for pivotal adjusting movement, and for that purpose, the lower edge of the bracket plate 55 seats in a V-shaped trough 55 formed between a side wall of the supply tank 26 and an angle piece 56 connected to said wall. An adjustment screw 5? passes through a hole 58 in the side wall of the supply tank 26 and at one end has a wire or rod tip 66 passing througha hole in the bracket plate 54 and offset in the form of a hook to anchor said screw to said plate. The screw tip is fiat and passes through a rectangular hole in the bracket plate 54 to keep the screw 51 from turning.

A thumb nut ti threaded on the part of the screw 5'5 projecting on the outside of the supply tank 26 has a neck 62 with a rounded end hearing against the outside of the adjacent side wall of said supply tank. By manipulating the nut 6|, the lubricating drum 2'? may be raised between the position shown in full lines in Fig. i and the position shown in dot and dashv lines. Vihen more lubricant is required, the nut ii! is loosened to permit the drum 2? to sin}; by gravity deeper into the lubricant bath, the lower belt run having enough sag to follow the do'srnward movement of the drum in continued engagement therewith. More lubricant is thereby transferred from said bath to the belt 52. Com versely, when the nut is tightened, the drum 27 is raised with respect to the lubricant bath and less lubricant is transferred from said bath to the belt 12. By this adjustment, the drum 2? may be brought up entirely out of the lubricant bath and permitted tooperate dry. This adjustment may be required, for example, when the belt has become saturated.

The upper edge of the bracket plate 54; de-

sirably extends above the upper edge of the front wall of the supply tank 26, to render this upper plate edge easily visible to the operator. By observing the position of this upper bracket plate edge with respect to the upper edge of the front Wall of the supply tank 25, the operator can tell quickly how deeply the drum dips into the lubri cant bath. If desired, a scale may be provided along the upper edge of the front wail of the supply tank is to facilitate determination of the extent of drum adjustment.

Another adjustment for the lubricant is desirably provided without disturbing the position of the lubricating drum 2?, by means of a device 55 (Figs. 4 and 5) located inside the supply tank 28 on the side thereof opposite the bracket plate 54. This adjusting device comprises a wiper 66 of resilient material such as rubber, extending along the full length of the drum 2'! or along any desired part thereof. The wiper is secured in a holder 5'! mounted on a pivot shaft 58 journalled in a bearing bracket is which is fastened to the adjacent side wall of the supply tank .26. This pivot shaft projects through the front of the supply tank 2% to the outside thereof and carries a suitable handle ii on its projecting end.

For maintaining the wiper fit; into or out of operative position, the'holder i thereof has a hub l2 with a cam configuration it under the resilient pressure action of a spring it. This spring is in the form of an angle has one flange connected to the adjacent side wall of the supply tank and its other flange bearing against the cam section '53 of the holder hub i2.

Normally, the wiper 53 is maintained in inactive position, shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 5, by the spring it, the working requh ments for the lubricant being met by adjustments in the screw 5?. However, whenthe ccnveyor belt i2 becomes too wet due to some on ternalcause, or for any reason. it is necessary to reduce temporarily the lubrication applied to the belt, the wiper 66 may be quickly thrown against the periphery of the drum 2? intooperative position, shown in full lines, by maiii nipulation of the handle H, until such time as it is desired to resume normal operations. The spring it maintains the wiper 66 yieldably into this operative drum wiping position.

In handling machinery, such as those for han dling bottles, some conveyor belts are subjected to a considerable amount of water, as for example, from the washing operations, or are subjected to a considerable amount'of liquid from accidental breakage of bottles. Other conveyor belts, however, as for example near the packaging station, run fairly dry. This condition necessitates different amounts of lubricant for the different belts or for handling any contingency arising in operation. The different adjusting devices described meet the difierent lubricating requirements.

The metal belt slats it when new have'their bottle supporting surfaces usually flat. However, in spite of the use of lubricants, a channel (Fig. 6) will eventually be abrasively worn by the bottles across the center parts of the slats i3 longitudinally of the belt it. If a long solid lubricating drum 2? is used to apply lubricant to the belt 22, the channel 8E! on the belt will remain dry and if a short dr m is employed, the outer faces of the side sections of the belt will remain dry. It is desirable to apply lubricant to the outer faces of the side belt sections, so that this lubricant will seep to the inner faces of the side belt sections and in turn to the track flanges it on which these side belt sections run. These track flanges it will thereby become properly lubricated.

To avoid the adverse conditions described, the lubricating drum in all of the forms of the invention shown has different peripheral sections therealong radially and resiliently yieldable relatively by the pressure tractive action of the belt E2 to conform with the contour of the belt in contact therewith. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-6, this feature is embodied the drum 2! by making said drum of sectionalized construction. To that end, the drum 2! cci'npriss a center section 82 and side sections 33 flanking said center section and resiliently mounted for radial floating action. The center drum section comprises a solid cylindrical M wide enough to extend into any channel i3 3 worn on. the outer face of the belt ii, a "hub lit embracing the drum axle 5b with a rotative tit and av rigid connecting member 86 shown in the form of a disc or web between said rim. and hub. The hub as extends axially beyond the ends of the center rim st to mount the side drum sections as resiliently thereon, as will be described;

of the side drum sections 83 comprises a solid cylindrical rim 8'5 having an outside diameter corresponding to that of the center rim 8 and wide enough to extend along at least the full of that side section of the belt 12 extending beyond the corresponding end of the or rim 53 i. rim 8? has an inner peripheral flange iii? and the end of the hub 35 nearest thereto has a peripheral flange iii in the radial ie of .l 9B. A plurality of coil 7 (ti... ee shown apart) exdially between the rim ii! and the hub 53!. These coil springs E32 tend to maintain the corresponding side drum section 83 in axial registry with the center drum section 82, with the.

hooking arrangements with the'flanges 80 andouter peripheries of their rims 84 and 87 extending' along a straight line.

While the surface of the belt I2 is straight thereacross, the lower run of said belt resting on the center drum section 82 lines up the other two drum sections 83, causing the lubricant to be applied substantially evenly across the full width of said belt. As the channel Bil is worn in the belt 12, the belt sags into engagement with the rim 84 of the center drum section 82, causing said rim to extend into said channel in belt supporting position and the side drum sections 83 to be depressed radially downwardly against the action of the springs 92, while maintaining engagement with the side sections of the belt, as shown in Fig. 6. These side drum sections 83 rotate with the center drum section 82 and as upper successive peripheral parts of the side drum sections 83 come into engagement with the belt i 2, they are depressed thereby radially I downwardly. The lubricant is thereby applied substantially evenly across the face of the belt I2 in spite of irregularities therein, as indicated.

The lubricant is applied by the side drum sections 83 on the outer surface of belt it? along the side portions thereof. On the other hand, the inner surface of the belt I2 is the one which rides along the track flanges I8. However, sufficient lubricant applied by the side drum sections 83 to the side portions of the belt 52 creeps and spreads to the inner surface of the belt and onto the track flanges l8 when the lower run of the lubricated belt reaches the upper flight. The surface of the track flange it along which the belt I2 rides is thereby eifectively lubricated.

When more lubricant is required than can be picked up from the supply tank 26 by the drum 2'! set up as shown in Fig, 6, a sleeve i Eli (Fig. '7) of absorbent material having a certain amount of resiliency, as for example spongy rubber is placed around the drum to embrace the three sections thereof. This sleeve H30 picks up lubricant from the path in the supply tank 26 and transfers it to the belt, as shown in Fig. '7. When this sleeve I is employed, the springs 92 may be omitted, since the sleeve keeps the outer drum sections 83 in place and serves as a resilient or floating mount, permitting them to yield radially relatively to the center drum section 82 into conformity with the surface of the belt I2.

Another alternative form of belt lubricant rotary applicator 21 embodying the present invention is shown in Fig. 8. In this form of the invention, the applicator of sectionalized construction comprises a series of hubs I in the form of rings arranged axially side by side along a clamping sleeve I06 and arranged into three groups to define a center applicator unit 82 and side applicator units 83 separated from said center applicator unit by belt supporting discs I01. Each of these hubs I05 has set therein around the periphery thereof a series of radially extending brush tufts I68 which are made of wire, bristles, hair or similar flexible elastic thread-like material and which are adapted to extend into sweeping contact with the surface of the belt 2 to apply lubricant thereto picked up from the supply tank 26.

The clamping sleeve IDE to which the hubs I05 and discs H)? are secured as a unit embrace the applicator axle 50 with a rotative bearing fit and is shown with a flange or shoulder I It at one end and a nut III threaded on to its other end against the outside hub. This sectionalized demountable structure permits the hubs 105 with attached brush tufts 108 to be removed, replaced or rearranged in accordance with the lubricating conditions desired.

The belt supporting discs I01 are spaced to extend into the channel 80 formed in the belt I2 7 by abrasive wear. vAs the belt I2 moves along .at

a predetermined speed, its friction traction engagement with the discs It! causes the whole lubricant applicator unit 2'! to rotate about the axle substantially at a corresponding speed. This causes the tufts I08 which have previously dipped into the lubricant bath in the supply tank 26 to move in lubricant applying position with respect to the belt I2. These tufts I08 being flexible and resilient will flex and spread under the compressive action of the belt I2 and will, therefore, automatically conform with the contour of said belt. The lubricant will, therefore, be spread substantially evenly across the belt I2, except in the areas where the discs I01 contact said belt, and even into these areas, the lubricant will spread from the lubricated belt sections.

If it is desired to change the pattern of application of the lubricant to the belt I2, this can be easily done with the arrangement shown in Fig. 8. For example, the length of the different applicator sections 82 and 83* can be varied by changing the number of tufted hubs I05 in each section. Moreover, the amount of lubricant applied by each of the applicator sections 82 and S3 can be varied by using tufts of different densities for the different applicator sections. For example, it may be desired to apply a heavy coating of lubricant in the channel area of the belt I2 and a thinner coat in the side areas. The tufts its in the center applicator section '82 may, for that purpose, be denser than those in the side applicator sections 83 to obtain this effect.

The structure of Fig. 8 is not only suitable for cases where the outer surface of the belt I2 may become irregular due to the abrasive wear action of the bottles or other articles thereon, but also to cases where the outer belt surface may be irregular in the first instance for any other reason associated with the function and operation of the system. Under these conditions, application of the lubricant across the belt I2 to the desired extent is assured irrespective of any such irregularities.

The arrangement of Fig. 8 can be made to replace the structure of Figs. 6 and '7, by simply slipping off the drum structure shown in said latter figures from the axle 50 and mounting the tufted hub structure of Fig. 8 thereon in its, place.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto, but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of a conveyor belt, the combination comprising a supply tank for liquid lubricant, a rotary lubricant applicator in said tank adapted to dip into the lubricant bath in said tank and to tractively engage said belt, a wiper pivotally mounted on one side of said tank and movable selectively into or out of wiping engagement with said applicator into either of two positions, means automatically operable when said wiper is in position between said two positions for moving said wiper in either or said two positions, and

means automatically operable when said wiper reaches either of said two positions for releasably holding said wiper in either of said two positions.

2. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of a conveyor belt, the combination as described in claim 1, wherein said wiper moving means and said wiper holding' means comprises spring means, and cam means connected for pivotal movement with said wiper about the pivot axis thereof and engaging said spring means to releasably hold said Wiper selectively into and out of operative position.

3. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a rotary lubricant applicator for peripherally picking up liquid lubricant from a supply tank into which said applicator is adapted to extend and for applying the picked-up liquid lubricant to said surface comprising a plurality of peripheral sections extending alongside of each other and adapted to engage said surface of the belt, said sections being relatively and elastically yieldable radially to a substantial extent to conform separately with irregularities in said surface.

4. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a rotary lubricant applicator for peripherally picking up liquid lubricant from a supply tank into which said applicator is adapted to extend and for applying the picked-up liquid lubricant to said surface comprising a plurality of separate rim sections extending alongside of each other and adapted to be pressed by said surface, and means elastically support- 1 ing at least one of said rim sections for movement radially and relatively to the other rim sections and to a substantial extent to conform said rim sections separately with the irregularities in said surface.

5. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a drum for applying liquid lubricant to said surface, comprising three separate rim sections of rigid material extending alongside of each other and adapted to be pressed by said surface, and means elastically supporting the outside rim sections for movement radially and relatively to the center rim section to conform said rim sections to the irregularities in said surface.

6. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a drum for applying liquid lubricant to said surface, com prising a plurality of separate rim sections of rigid material extending alongside of each other i s and adapted to tractively engage the said surface, and spring means mounting at least one of said rim sections for resilient radial floating action with respect to the other rim sections.

7. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a drum for applying liquid lubricant to said surface, comprising three separate rim sections of rigid material extending alongside of each other and adapted to be pressed by said surface, a hub, means rigidly connecting the center rim section to said hub, and coil springs connecting the outside rim sections to said hub to afford a resilient floating mount for said outside rim sections.

8. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a drum for applying liquid lubricant to said surface, comprising a plurality of separate rim sections of rigid material extending alongside of each other, and a sleeve of absorbent resilient material embracing said'rim sections for engagement with said surface and permitting said'rim' sections to yield radially under the pressure action of said surface.

9. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a rotary lubricant applicator for applying liquid lubricant to said belt comprising a hub unit, and a series of brush tufts around said hub unit set. into. said 'hub 'unit and extending radially therefrom for engagement with said surface.

10. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a rotary lubricant applicator for applying liquid lubricant to said belt comprising a hub unit, a series of brush tufts around said hub unit set into said nub unit and extending radially therefrom for engagement with said surface, and one or more circular discs of rigid material connected to said hub unit and adapted to tractively and peripherally engage said surface.

11. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, a rotary lubricant applicator for applying liquid lubricant to said belt comprising a series of hub elements arranged alongside of each other, side by side, means detachably connecting said elements together into a single rotative unit, a series of brush tufts around each of said hub elements set into said hub element and extending radially therefrom for engagement with said surface, and one or more circular discs of rigid material removably connected to said hub unit and adapted to tractively andperipherally engage said surface.

12. A device for lubricating the supporting surface of an endless conveyor belt, comprising a liquid lubricant supply tank, and a rotary lubricant applicator in said tank adapted to dip into the lubricant bath in said tank and to engage the surface of said belt, to effect thereby transfer of lubricant from said supply tank to said belt surface, said lubricant applicator comprising a plurality of peripheral sections extending alongside of each other and adapted to engage said belt surface, said sections being relatively and elastically yieldable radially to a substantial extent to conform separately with irregularities in said surface.

13. In a device for lubricating the supporting surface of the lower run of an endless conveyor belt, the combination comprising a supply tank for liquid lubricant, a rotary lubricant applicator in said tank adapted to dip into the lubricant bath in said tank and to tractively engage the lower run of said belt, and'means for adjusting the vertical position of said applicator in said tank to adjust the extent to which said applicator sinks into the bath in said tank and comprising a U-shaped bracket of sheet material having side arms for rotatively supporting said applicator and a cross member in the form of an upwardly extending plate joining said arms, a V-trough on the side of said tank pivotally receiving the lower edge of said cross member, and means for adjusting the angular position of said bracket about said V-trough and comprising a screw connected at one end to said cross member and held against rotation, said screw projecting through a wall of said supply tank to the outside thereof, and a nut threaded onto said screw on the projecting part thereof and bearing against said tank Wall.

WILLIAM J. DOBKIN.

(References on following page) Number Name Date Cordley Oct. 31, 1922 Greer Aug, 7, 1928 5 Vallier Dec. 31, 1929 Forby et a1. Nov. 17,v 1931 Goerlich July 24, 1934 Number.

12 Name Date Moench .,1,. Sept. 5, 1944 Kanter- M Jan. 16, 1945 Gettleman Feb. 13,, 1945 Steen Mar. 29, 1949 Davidson, 1-11-- July 25, 1950 Sissler Feb. 13, 1951 Neal .1 05,0. 23, 1951 Govan- July 22,, 1952 

